Help me solve a parking issue

[TraLaLaaaaa]

What would you do if you had this large tarmacked area in front of your house that you want to keep open for parking on yourself but stop others from using it as a car park for near by shops? I do a bit of a swoop onto it (orange arrow on diagram) so that I can drive off it facing forward (busy road, footpath, school & nursery next door so lots of kids at certain times of the day so I don't want to be reversing off it).

Here's what I've thought of so far:
Fence - would need to apply for planning permission. If I got planning permission, I can't actually afford to put up a fence.

Planters - someone would steal them/mess them up? Would I be liable if someone tripped over them? (People also walk across it/stand chatting on it/etc. as if it were the footpath.) And if I placed them to stop others driving on, it would prevent me from driving on too.
Signs on the front of house - my house has little kerb appeal as it is, so I don't really want signs on the front of it. I also think that if people are so unthinking enough to park right up to my front door anyway, then a sign isn't going to prevent them.
Penguin bollards or similar - similar issue with the planters, if they're placed to stop others, then they stop me too. Also, would need quite a few and they're not very attractive for a residential property.

I put notes on occasionally, or talk to people if I see them parking there. I got told to fuck off recently for just mentioning that it was private property and not a car park. I think it's probably not worth it because I imagine it's a steady stream of different people, not the same people every day.

Anyone got any other ideas? I fear it might be an unsolvable issue short of completely fencing it off? I really don't mind the school parents parking there to drop off and pick up, but for some reason I can't make myself quite so zen-like about the people using it in the day time when going to the next door shops. It's not all day every day, but it's becoming more frequent due to a change next door, so I'm just pondering on it today after getting up this morning to find someone's car bumper about 6 inches away from my front door.

I like the painting an outline marking the boundaries of your property with ‘ private do not park’ written as a first measure. That’s how disabled and other restricted spaces are marked after all. Get it done properly though. Does that require permission? Shouldn’t think so.

Fencing and a gate, so a pita for you, but less of a pita than having people park on your land?

Can you post a photo?

Is it not possible to put small posts and chain across the bit people are parking on with a small sign saying private property and then just reverse onto the bit you do park on?

I’d also check cafe has permission for outdoor seating. Definitely heavy planters and a word with neighbour.

Give the planning people a ring, they will be able to tell you if you need planning permission for a fence.

Hadn't thought of painting on it, think you're right that if it's done properly, then it might be enough.

I might get some fencing quotes, I'm assuming £000s for a lovely wrought iron one. But maybe much cheaper for wooden? Might not be as bad as I fear.

I've already spoken to the planning people, but they couldn't tell me one way or another and said I'd need to submit a planning application. I didn't bother at the time as I'd spent every last penny on renovating the inside of the house, had nothing left for the outside.

Get an expanding fence just down the side with the cafe on. They’ll slot together and it means you can move it when the business is quieter and won’t cost a fortune. You can hang signs on the fence saying private property no parking and easy to quickly push back so you can swing your car when parking then replace

www.chums.co.uk/products/ad129/expanding-wooden-fence?SKU=AD129MULONE&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1_j_36_D4wIVRLDtCh2x1QVxEAQYByABEgJhkfD_BwE

Hmm...something like that might work Sammy, and looks a bit nicer than bollards, etc. thanks. I wonder if there's a less tall one available and I could put it just across my front where people pull on from the drop kerb in front of the cafe. That might be enough to make people think twice about it at least. Although I've seen people drive the whole length of the footpath in front of our row of houses, pulling onto it at the drop kerb on the corner and driving all along the path to the shop at the end!

Actually that one is only 3' tall now I've looked at it properly. That would be fine if it's sturdy enough to not get knocked over easily by wind or the hordes of kids running by at school time.

Right, good, thanks everyone. It's helped a lot to think about different things. I think I'll apply for planning just to see where I stand on that. And temporary extending fence in the mean time if I do get to the point where I can't bear it any more!

Is all that land adjacent to the pavement yours? Personally I'd rent it out as parking for the cafe, on the far side of their tables and chairs ... if it's that bit to your side of the cafe tables then I'd fence it personally. Don't you only need planning if the fence is over 6 feet?

Ah no, just the bit in front of my house is mine flumpy with the orange arrows on it. Re planning permission, I think I need to apply because of it's previous use and the fact none of it has ever been fenced off before. There's a similar situation across the road too, and when one of those houses applied, they were only allowed to put a fence up along the boundary between them and a remaining shop, but couldn't completely fence in their property. I don't know the specifics of why...but it doesn't make me feel particularly confident about even getting planning permission.

Planning permission for a fence is the way to go it would send me crackers.
Do you need permission for a fence? Temporary structure is it called?
Or one of those chain link types.

Put up a garden chain to fence off the perimeter. Sign saying private property and clamping in operation. The new business would need planning permission to allow seating/dining outside. You could rent car park spaces to the local business.

Over the summer holiday borrow a teenager to charge for parking. Set it £5 and they can keep it. After 6weeks people will be out of the habit.

It's also worth asking the cafe to check people haven't parked there.

I think probably you shouldn't be trespassing over the corner of the cafe's land, or using that drop curb in front of the cafe at all to swing in to your property. I can see why you do - super convenient - but that's also why other people do what they do and park - because it's convenient. So if you want to revert to legally stopping people from using your land, you'll need to also stop using theirs, iyswim, and fence all the way down the boundary and only use 'your' drop curb.

I spray painted my own private parking. Tarmac spray paint and a stencil off eBay. Was really easy and looks professional, plus I did it in bright red so you can't miss it!

Just a thought OP, is there anything in your deeds about not fencing in the front garden area? Sometimes there are covenants that they must be left open. You can use plants though.

Would you be able to break up the tarmac and turn it into a front garden with a hedge? I think you might need to forgo swinging into the space.

I think a fence would be the best choice, but as that seems expensive and a hassle, I think I'd try to screen the area off a bit with something that will sort of mark it as your land and make it more garden-like.
I would also place a smallish private driveway no parking sign.

Could you post a picture we might be able to suggest ways to up the kerb appeal of your house too.

I definitely would not go for planning that might open a can of worms.

Difficult without seeing it but I would plant a hedge to the left of your car and a matching hedge on the cafe side and just back in your dropped kerb.

I’m still not clear what is actually your land op. Are you saying both dropped kerbs are on your land? And therefore where the cafe is storing outdoor seatings/tables?

I also think keen appeal in the front to make it look more like an owner home

Planters - mix concrete to weight them down - grow every green plants.

Paint markings might work - a double line round the edges and maybe a design in the middle

CalmFizz, each property owns the tarmacked bit directly in front of them, marked by the dotted lines on the diagram.

The dropped kerb in front of the cafe is 3-houses long and I guess was the loading bay/delivery area for when it was all shops. I don't need to drive over the cafe's land when I drive onto my front, it looks like I do from the diagram...that's just my rubbish and imprecise drawing. Although, to be honest, I'm not sure any of us should really be driving over the footpath when it's not officially dropped kerbs and driveways for each property??

I'll see if I can find a photo of the front of the house to make it clearer!

Ok, so I've got my PJ bottoms on and can't be bothered to change to go out and take a photo. So I've taken a screenshot of google street view. It's from 2012. Since then, all the houses on the photo have been bought and renovated and so believe me it looks a whole lot better now! My house is the end one on the corner plot. Since the photo, the Council have re-done all the footpaths, my front is the same condition tarmac as on the photo.

So, when I say my house has no kerb appeal, trust me it has a lot more than it does in this picture (new windows, black door, painted cream at the top of the house, and black painted woodwork) but I do still have the pebbledash, which I don't like. And just the bare tarmac in front.